


La Nave,El Camarero y La Flor Blanca

by PrincesaParkerina



Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Its dark and angsty and intense which means it's my comfort zone, Lets try and fix that disaster of an episode, Multi, Set during Flor de Bievenida
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 10:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18051119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincesaParkerina/pseuds/PrincesaParkerina
Summary: Arnoldo doesn't deal well with the fact he almost lost Francis for good.





	La Nave,El Camarero y La Flor Blanca

**Author's Note:**

> Let that episode goooo, I keep telling myself,I don't listen even to myself.

After the events of La Flor Blanca,Arnoldo had several,constant nightmares where his Francis died in front of his eyes,in multiple,different,horrific ways,the chef didn’t know there was so many ways for that ship to crash,killing Francis instantly,slowly,in pieces,burned entirely or covered in blood.

Sometimes Dream Arnoldo didn’t even get to see the waiter’s corpse,the curly-haired teen simply had disappeared to never be found again and if he was ever found,it was a lifeless half-burned body floating through the river with his vital organs missing.

Somehow Topa always got out alive and without a scratch on his body.

Here the great cook was,yet again,waking up in a sweat in the middle of the night to check if his waiter was still in bed,safe,asleep.

Most of the time he wasn't,Arnoldo would panic and find his assistant in the kitchen pouring a glass of water or simply working when he shouldn't be,the brunet chef would scold him,yell for him to go back to bed,Francis would fidget with the sleeves of his bowtie pyjamas,curl in on himself and reluctantly obey him as always.

It was quite nice to know the talented boy was still alive although It never fully comforted Arnoldo.

It never really brought the much-needed peace he'd been seeking so badly.

A year later,the dreams have been way less frequent and the infamous date he didn’t want to be at was at risk,oh,too bad,that witch didn’t think dancing with another man wasn’t bad enough,she had to step on his precious,rare,white flower while at it.

Actually,even if she was someone Arnoldo was genuinely interested in,and no matter how rare and important that flower is,no force on this planet could make the chef even get close to that ship,everyone tried to persuade him but failed.

Topa finally let it go and called Harmony to go with him once Arnoldo was having a full on panic attack when Francis offered to go in his place,despite looking terrified out of his mind himself.

Francis didn't want to be here either but he'd do it for Arnoldo without thinking twice.

* * *

Not long after,Francis finally found his boss again,the skillful waiter knocked gently on the opened double doors to their bunkroom,a tray with two cups of tea in one hand,he heard the cook sniffling softly.

Arnoldo was a miserable sight,trembling,dark brown hair in disarray,curled against the headboard of his bed,clutching tightly to his pillows,only in his red t-shirt,blue pants and robe,the fancy clothes he's supposed to wear to the date later today still neatly folded by the opposite side of the bed along with his chef hat.

Right where Francis left them a couple hours ago.

"May I...come in,señor? I brought tea and your favorite cookies." Francis smiled sympathetically,stepping into the room hesitantly.

It made no sense to do so,this is his room too.

Even if just....a very small,narrow portion of it in the corner he barely fits in.

Arnoldo started his rant once Francis reached the older,brunet man and served him his cup of tea,the cook very much snatched it and the cookies from the young waiter's hands,sitting up straight.

"I can't do this,Francis.I can't believe the Capitano tried to make me get inside that ship! Doesn't he feel anything??? Didn't that day affect him at all the way it affected me-" Francis gave his boss an unamused look.

"The way it affected _us_." Arnoldo reluctantly corrected himself,Francis thought this over,stiffly rubbing a hand over the older man's shoulder,he knows their Captain better than people think.

He knew Doris better than people thought.She didn't want to leave Josefina alone at the monorail with _Harmony,_ but she had no choice but to tell the Captain she would need a break to take care of her mother who had recently gotten very ill.

She was heartbroken that it happened right when she thought she'd have more time with her wife,but she had spent _even less_ time with her family these past years.

He knew Melody better than people thought.She loved the Captain and never wanted to leave his side,but when the choice is between a man who 1) cannot decide what he really wants and 2) is 15 years older than her _AND_ realizing her childhood dream of traveling to the moon....

Deep in her heart,she knew the right answer,she is no Rachel Greene.

Francis knows the Rulos better than people really think,he's very close friends with Ricardo and Carlos.

Ricardo is still not interested in girls or anyone for that matter,but he volunteered to "crush" on Harmony on their show in Rolando's place,for his dimpled twin's sake.

Carlos kept contact with Lince,the camera man,the two of them and Francis hung out together several times already.

They support each other,Carlos and Francis keep frequent contact with the tall,skinny older teen who's as troubled as them.

And....Francis has been dating Rolando for some good 3 years now,he still barely believes he got Arnoldo's blessing on that.

Or the Captain's,it's when Francis was told about the brunet singer's past traumas and losses and how several nightmares about those events haunt the older,kind man to this day.

It was when he knew their Captain wasn't really all that worried if he died that fateful day.

He's not really seeking for it and he agreed immediately when Arnoldo outright banned Francis to ever getting close to the ship.

He knows he's risking irreplaceable lives when he does it yet everytime Topa enters that place,deep down he hopes it's the last.

The purple clad Captain told Francis many times how the Monorail would be much better if he wasn't here and the place was run by Lila or someone else far more competent,even Francis.

The things you discover over a friendly cup of tea.

"I think ... you should start considering that people react differently than you or me when faced with the same situation,señor.I was there,I know for a fact Capitán Topa was very shaken by it too,he just has to keep a face." was Francis' final response,playing with the handle of the cup of tea he has yet to touch.

Arnoldo grinned warmly,looking up at his loyal apprentice,his own tea and tears long gone,the great cook draped an arm over the young waiter's shoulders,bringing him closer,taking the boy's cup and cookies for himself.

"I suppose you're right,Francis,you're a good friend,you know that?" was all the older man said in an uncharacteristic good mood.

It always feels weird to Francis whenever his cook  call him 'friend',they are anything but that.

Did that stop Francis from smiling so big it could reach the ceiling?

Not really.

Francis looked to the side,spotting the red chef's hat and grabbing it from the pile of folded clothes,also taking a white flower from the pocket of his apron.

"Hey,Arnoldo?" Francis smirked.

"Sí,Francis?" Arnoldo hummed,two seconds from finishing the tea and cookies he so kindly borrowed.

Francis turned a bit to the side to face Arnoldo,putting the Chef's Hat over the cook's head carefully and handing him the flower.

"You look better with your hat on,you're gonna be late for your date,if I were you I'd start to hurry."

**Author's Note:**

> Yes,I'm ignoring Vestuarista en Apuros completely,fight me.


End file.
